Britgeek here.
Stephen King is quite possibly the greatest writer of our time and it's amazing just how many novels, short stories and screenplays he manages to produce each and every year. What's also incredible is how, for an author best known for his contribution to horror, King is such a diverse wordsmith, tackling drama, science fiction and fantasy on numerous occasions throughout his long and wildly successful career. One example would be his latest novel, 11.22.63, which is proving to be his most successful work in years and yet isn't a horror yarn. My favourite King book? IT. My favourite King film adaptation? THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Many aren't even aware that he penned the short story of which long-time collaborator Frank Darabont (THE GREEN MILE, THE MIST) adapted for the screen.
One of the my favourite King movie adaptations that does fall under horror, however (and one of the most overlooked), is THE NIGHT FLIER from 1997, directed by Mark Pavia and starring the great Miguel Ferrer as a journalist for a trashy magazine who is hot on the tail of a vampire that gets around not by morphing into a bat, but by taking to the skies in a plane. It's excellent and not nearly enough people talk about it these days. Pavia and King co-wrote the screenplay for a sequel, THE NIGHT FLIER: FEAR OF FLYING (a script I'm dying to read), but it's been kept under lock and key for years by producer Richard Rubenstein at New Line. I really hope to see the project get the green light one day. But until then, we have another Pavia/King collaboration in the works in the form of an anthology film. Yes, the man who made the legendary CREEPSHOW with George A. Romero is currently developing a yet-to-be-titled horror anthology with Pavia that will consist of four tales of terror. Pavia is currently writing the script, which consists of four tales of terror of which are from the mind of King.
While there have been rumblings for months about big-budget Hollywood adaptations of THE STAND and the utterly epic THE DARK TOWER series, news that King is returning to horror movies in a writing capacity and possibly more is music to my ears. I can't wait to find out what these two have up their sleeves.
What are your favourite Stephen King stories and movies?
TTFN.
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